Development and Performance Evaluation of Miniature Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer for Space Exploration

The mass spectrometer,which is a scientific instrument capable of finely analyzing the composition of materials,plays an increasingly important role in space activities.To meet the needs of space exploration,a miniature time-offlight mass spectrometer(TOF MS)has been developed and its performance has been evaluated.The designed TOF MS consists of the electron impact ionization ion source,the miniature reflection time of flight mass analyzer with orthogonal extraction and electronics.The volume is 300 mm×200 mm×200 mm,mass is 13.4 kg,power consumption is 25 W,the mass resolution is better than 359 FWHM,and the mass range is 1 to 502 amu,the limit of detection is 1.3×10^-5mass fraction for C₄H₁₀.